MISSOURI, USA — The San Francisco 49ers will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII and several players have connections to Missouri.
The big game will kick off at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Chiefs will be representing the AFC after defeating the Baltimore Ravens 17-10. The NFC will be represented by the 49ers after the team beat the Detroit Lions 34-31.
The 2024 Super Bowl is a rematch of Super Bowl LIV in 2020, which was Kansas City's first appearance in the game in 50 years. The Chiefs defeated the 49ers 31-20.
The Chiefs and 49ers will have players representing the Missouri, St. Louis and area universities on the field:
Ronnie Bell - Wide receiver
The Kansas City, Missouri, native and was a multi-sport athlete at Park Hill High School. He played college football at the University of Michigan under head coach Jim Harbaugh.
He was drafted by San Francisco in the 2023 NFL Draft and made his debut this year. He played in 14 games for the No. 1 seed 49ers in the National Football Conference.
Nick Bolton - Linebacker
While he isn't a Missouri native, Bolton played for the University of Missouri from 2018-2020.
The linebacker played in 35 games over the three seasons, recording 220 combined tackles. He was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference in 2019 and 2020.
He was selected by the Chiefs in the 2021 NFL Draft and signed with the team in May 2021.
In 2022, he finished second in the NFL in combined and solo tackles with 180 total tackles (108 solo). He helped Kansas City reach Super Bowl LVII where the team defeated the Philadelphia Eagles. Bolton finished the game with nine tackles which led the team.
He made Mizzou history by becoming the first former Tiger player to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl. The historic moment came during the second quarter when Jalen Hurts fumbled and Bolton returned it 36 yards for the game-tying touchdown.
Blaine Gabbert - Quarterback
Gabbert was born in Ballwin and graduated from Parkway West High School. He attended and played football at the University of Missouri.
He played from 2008-2010 with the Tigers, and in his last season, he had 3,186 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns and 232 rushing yards.
The quarterback was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars No. 10 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft.
He spent three seasons with the Jaguars and went on to play with the 49ers, Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019.
He served as the backup quarterback for the Buccaneers behind Tom Brady in Super Bowl LV. Tampa Bay would defeat the Kansas City Chiefs, giving Gabbert his first Super Bowl victory.
Gabbert signed with the Chiefs in April 2023 and will serve as the backup to Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LVII.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah - Defensive end
Anudike-Uzomah was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and attended Lee's Summit High School. He played for Kansas State from 2020-2022 before being drafted by the Chiefs with the No. 31 pick in the 2023 Draft.
In his rookie year, he had 14 tackles and one forced fumble.
Tershawn Wharton - Defensive tackle
Wharton grew up in University City and attended Maplewood Richmond Heights High School. He transferred to University City High School his senior year.
He was a four-year starter at Missouri S&T in Rolla, Missouri. He finished his college career with 58 tackles for loss and 35.5 sacks.
Wharton was signed by the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in April 2020 and made the final roster out of training camp.
In 2022, Wharton tore his ACL and was placed on injured reserve. He made his return in 2023 and played in all 17 games for the Chiefs.
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